Walking & Hiking
Methven is at the gateway to a wide and varied range of walkways and tracks.
The Methven Walkway includes the Enchanted Forest and the Piwakawaka Walk, perfect for families (and everyone else!) to enjoy.
Nearby are the Awa Awa Rata Reserve, Rakaia Gorge Walkway, Sharplin Falls, Mount Somers Tracks with Washpen Falls, Hakatere Lakes & Alpine Trails and the Te Araroa Trail a 40min – 1hr 15min drive away.
Information about all these walks and hikes can be found at the Methven iHub.
The Methven Walkway
The Methven Walkway opened in 1979, is 12 kilometres long, and is intersected by various country roads so that it is possible to walk through various sections or to complete the walkway from beginning to end which will take from 3.5 to 4 hours.
One of the walkway features is the man-made Rangitata Diversion Race (known locally as the RDR), which provides irrigation water in the summer and hydro-electric power in the winter. The 68 kilometre canal carries water from the Rangitata to the Rakaia River with gates along the way controlling irrigation water out. The canal attracts many kinds of ducks and other wildlife and along the way there are unimpeded views of the Southern Alps featuring the Mt Hutt, Mt Taylor Range and Pudding Hill mountain ranges.
Recently the Methven Lions have undertaken to upgrade the existing walkway and to add further loops to connect the original sections with Methven. When finished, it will be some 12.5 km long, surrounding the town and to a standard that’s navigable by people of all ages and capabilities.
Some of it is already wheelchair capable. The two loops that have been completed start at the town centre, run up past the Cemetery, skirting the A&P Showgrounds to Barkers Road and pass through the wooded areas to the West of town on Mt Hutt Station Road to connect via the RDR, Mt Harding Road and Forest Drive back to the centre of town.
Enchanted Forest
The Enchanted Forest is a part of the Methven Walkway section that runs beside the Methven Racecourse just after the Opuke Hot Pools entrance.
During one of the Covid lockdowns, locals Sonia and Athol McAlpine noticed how many people were stopping to take photos by the fairy door at their mailbox. They started making fairy doors to go on the trees along the walkway. It then became known as the Enchanted Forest.
Families will enjoy walking through the trees, looking for the fairies and seeing all the painted rocks that have been left along the walkway.
We think the Enchanted Forest is a magical place. We hope you do too.
Piwakawaka Walk
The trees alongside Holmes Road have always been a popular place to walk as part of the Methven Walkway. There have always been a number of fantails flitting around the trees and when the Enchanted Forest started to come to life, an idea was hatched to create a Piwakawaka walk.
It was a true community effort and soon fantails were being painted by local families, artists, playcentre and schools. Methven Aged Care residents were also involved in the painting of these beautiful birds.
The Piwakawaka walk can be enjoyed as a walk on its own or as part as the Methven Walkway. The wooden fantails are bright and colourful and are dotted along the walkway in both directions.
Hiking Trails near Methven
- Mt Hutt Forest (via Awa Awa Rata Reserve)
A network of walking tracks allows for exploration of the forest and ridges, with a number of circuit day-trips possible. Loops can be made by combining tracks and can be walked in either direction. - Rakaia Gorge Walkway
This walkway offers several features of geological and historic interest as it traverses the edge of the Rakaia Gorge.
- Mt Somers Tracks
Sharplin Falls (Tahakura) is a reopened, family-friendly scenic spot featuring a 2.6 km return walking track. The 45-minute to 1.5-hour walk through native forest, leads to a viewing platform of the waterfall and crystal-clear mountain pools.
There are an additional 7 tracks on Mt Somers ranging from intermediate to advanced hiking trails.
Hiking Trails further afield
- Hakatere Conservation Park (40 mins drive)
The park covers nearly 60,000 hectares of rugged mountain country, tussocklands, beech forest, wetlands, and sparkling clear rivers and lakes between two mighty rivers the Rakaia and Rangitata. There are a number of different access points into Hakatere Conservation Park, each with a range of walks & hikes available.
> Learn More
- Mt Sunday (1 hr 11mins drive)
Mount Sunday is a stunning site with expansive views of the Rangitata River and the surrounding mountains. The small hill got its name because boundary riders from the high-country stations would meet here on Sundays. More recently it was the film site for Edoras in the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
> Learn More
- Peel Forest Park Scenic Reserve (50 mins drive)
The reserve, located south of the Rangitata River, covers over 700 hectares of rich and diverse forest that provides a variety of native bush, bird-life and a series of tracks for walkers. There are a variety of tracks from a short 30-minute walk past large forest trees, to a 2–3 hour ascent of Little Mt Peel/Huatekerekere.
> Learn More
- Lake Coleridge Area (30-40 mins drive)
There is a range of easy walks around the Lake Coleridge Village (including an historic walk with self guided walking notes and map) and longer day and multi-day hikes on public tracks in the Lake Coleridge basin.
> Lake Coleridge Walks
> Washpen Falls
> Peak Hill
- Te Araroa: Rakaia River to Rangitata River Section (50 mins drive)
This section of the Te Araroa Walkway starts at Glenrock Stream (Double Hill Run Road) and finishes at Potts River Bridge carpark (Hakatere Potts Road). The walkway crosses the Hakatere Conservation Park, covering a distance of 70km and takes approximately four days to complete.
>Trail Notes
